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Yesterday, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) issued the Final Environmental Impact Statement/Report (EIR/EIS) for the Westside Subway Extension. Funded through the Measure R sales tax measure, the project calls for extending the agency’s Purple Line nine miles west from the Wilshire/Western station to the Westwood/VA area.

The final EIR/EIS includes recommendations for the alignment and seven station locations along the route, as well as environmental mitigations.

“[The environmental work’s] completion represents the culmination of more than four years of environmental study by Metro, and upon final approval by the Metro Board, will help secure future federal funding as the agency moves into final design,” said Los Angeles Mayor and LACMTA Chairman Antonio Villaraigosa in a prepared statement. “When built, this project will provide critically needed transportation options to and from the Westside that will benefit all of L.A. County.”

The board will consider the report’s recommendations at its April 26 meeting. Construction could begin in 2013.

Based on the adopted funding schedule, LACMTA plans to build the project in three phases, with the final segment to the Westwood VA Hospital to be completed in 2036. The agency is seeking alternative financing solutions to build the extension in one phase and complete it in as little as 10 years.